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Synonyms:
Alyssum parviflorum, Alyssum minus. Alyssum simplex.
(Wild
Alyssum) Brassicaceae (Mustard Family) Foothills. Disturbed areas, fields. Spring. Wild Alyssum is a very common introduced species that carpets large areas of fields and roadsides in the very early spring. Its stems are straight, flowers are tiny and bright yellow, and its seeds are flattened, round, and hairy. A great many plants were eaten, used medicinally, or used for clothing, fuel, and building by humans who populated the earth before supermarkets and Home Depots. Wild Alyssum’s scientific name refers to its past use as a supposed cure for rabies: from the Greek "a" ("without") "lyssum" ("madness"). "Parviflorum" is Latin for "small flower". Linnaeus named the Alyssum genus in 1753. In 1756 he named this species Clypeola minor. The name was changed to Alyssum parviflorum in 1819 by Friedrich Fischer (1782-1854) and to Alyssum minus in 1941 by Werner Rothmaler (1908-1962). The Synthesis of the North American Flora now accepts Alyssum simplex, given around 1800 by Karl Rudolphi (1771-1832). |
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Synonyms:
Alyssum parviflorum, Alyssum minus. Alyssum simplex.
(Wild
Alyssum) Brassicaceae (Mustard Family) Foothills. Disturbed areas, fields. Spring. A myriad of tiny, round, yellow/green seeds on an elongated stalk, follow the flowers of Alyssum parviflorum. |
